Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates the integration of dispositions - defined as the attitude, beliefs, and values influencing the application of knowledge and skills - into the work of professional instructional designers in higher education. Instructional design in higher education is primarily focused on knowledge and skills, often overlooking the equally critical role of attitudes, beliefs, and values - collectively known as dispositions. This exploratory study aims to understand whether and how instructional designers in higher education incorporate dispositions into their course design, and what teaching and learning activities and feedback and assessment procedures they employ. It is guided by Fink’s (2013) Integrated Course Design framework, which includes situational factors, learning goals, teaching activities, feedback and assessment procedures, and more importantly, the alignment between these components. Semi-structured interviews with six instructional designers revealed that dispositions are recognized as essential learning goals. While some identified effective teaching strategies, many lacked clear or appropriate methods to assess dispositions, raising concerns about the alignment between the components of Integrated Course Design. This misalignment suggests that learners may be inadequately prepared to activate dispositions which drive them to appropriately apply their knowledge and skills in real-world contexts. The findings highlight the need for more structured approaches to integrating and assessing dispositions in instructional design, ensuring that learners develop not only domain-specific knowledge and skills, but also the right dispositions to apply them in different contexts.
Source: Instructional Science
Authors: Jafar Tavakoli, Marisa Exter, Ankita Kotangale
Institution: Purdue University West Lafayette
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,290
OpenAlex ID: W4416740505